Podcasts about when ceos

Welcome to Sales & Cigars, the sales podcast, where the only smoke we blow is from cigars. In this episode, host Walter Crosby is joined by Mark Cox, founder of In the Funnel Sales Coaching, to discuss his journey from leading sales organizations in large tech and outsourcing companies to becoming a consultant and entrepreneur. Mark shares how, after stepping away from a high-travel role, he stumbled into consulting through personal connections and quickly realized he preferred working with midsize businesses over large corporations. This epiphany led to the launch of In the Funnel, where he has since helped over a hundred companies build sales playbooks and trained thousands of sales professionals. Mark emphasizes the entrepreneurial energy and focus on growth that characterizes midsize companies, as well as his own desire for autonomy and a more meaningful, hands-on impact.   Mark also discusses the inspiration behind his book, Learn to Love Selling: The Universal B2B Sales Playbook, which offers a practical framework for converting business capabilities into revenue. He explains how the book is structured to serve both frontline salespeople and sales leaders, with clear steps including defining a value proposition, prioritizing market segments, generating demand, and executing an effective sales process. Although the content had been part of his training for years, the book took nearly three years to complete due to the demands of consulting work and the challenges of writing. He also underscores the importance of CEOs staying involved in sales strategy, warning against the common mistake of delegating it entirely without understanding its foundational role in scaling a business.   Walter and Mark emphasize the critical importance of CEOs maintaining a strong connection to the sales process—not necessarily by making cold calls themselves, but by regularly engaging with their sales team and understanding what's resonating with customers. Mark explains that being close to sales helps CEOs make better hiring decisions, especially when choosing a sales leader, and also provides a clearer picture of customer needs and market trends. Traveling with sales reps or participating in client meetings allows CEOs to gain firsthand insight into what's happening on the front lines, which in turn strengthens the company's ability to craft a compelling and competitive value proposition. He stresses that expecting a new salesperson to define this value proposition is unrealistic—it must come from leadership.   Mark and Walter highlights how many founders and CEOs are “unconsciously competent” in sales, having acquired clients and resolved issues themselves in the early stages of their business. Because of this, they possess invaluable insight that can elevate the sales team if shared effectively. When CEOs engage with clients, they often initiate high-level strategic conversations rather than sales pitches. This approach demonstrates genuine interest and sets an example for the sales team. Such intentional customer engagement, formalized as part of executive priorities, helps ensure the business remains aligned with its clients' evolving needs. Links:  Learn more about Mark Cox. Find more episodes here.

When CEOs get bored they start breaking things or chasing new ideas in the name of fun. What if instead, we introduced a little controlled fun with a passion project.

When CEOs team up with their HR leaders, it can only mean good things for the wider business. It means a more strategic recruitment drive, better performance management, and more alignment on company goals.In this episode of HR Unplugged, Vanessa Brulotte and Anita Grantham sat down with Sam Devyver, the CEO of EasyLlama, live from Vegas at the Transform 2024 event to talk about how to make that all-important relationship happen.Sam shares his take as a CEO who works closely with HR professionals on how to build that relationship, mistakes to avoid, and the benefits of integrating HR into other business functions.Key moments:Why a close working relationship between HR and CEOs is importantThe benefits of HR being aligned on business initiativesSam explains his experience as a CEO working closely with HRAdvice for CEOs and HR leaders to build that relationshipWhy trust is keySam's advice on bringing HR into different areas of the businessKey links:Subscribe to HR Unplugged Series: https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/podcasts/hr-unplugged/Join HR Heroes Slack Community: https://join.slack.com/t/hrheroesworkspace/shared_invite/zt-21ad3f1r8-dkWC2EdmyhxUAHw9cGLdQw/Bamboo HR Homepage: https://www.bamboohr.com/Connect with Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samueldevyver/

Unlock the secrets to asserting your consumer rights with the ever-vigilant Helen Dewdney, the acclaimed 'Complaining Cow' who's made a career out of championing customer issues. In an eye-opening conversation, we navigate the rough seas of customer service, with Helen providing a compass for those lost in chatbot loops. She artfully exposes the tactics some companies employ to evade accountability and underscores the undeniable linkage between top-notch customer service and business prosperity.Her rallying cry is clear: don't just recognise your rights—demand that they're respected. Amid the digital whirlwind of modern commerce, our discussion takes a turn to dissect the new complexities consumers face, from the cold algorithmic responses of chatbots to the crucial human connection often missing in online customer interactions. When CEOs like Greg Jackson of Octopus Energy roll up their sleeves to tackle complaints head-on, it's a beacon of hope for the customer experience. Helen's wisdom doesn't stop there; she leaves listeners equipped with practical strategies for effective advocacy in their consumer battles, transforming frustrations into victories in the marketplace.

Alison Taylor is a Clinical Associate Professor at NYU Stern School of Business and Executive Director of Ethical Systems. Professor Taylor has spent the past two decades consulting with multinational companies on risk, anti-corruption, sustainability, human rights, culture and behavior, stakeholder engagement, ESG, and ethics and compliance – including as a senior advisor at sustainability nonprofit BSR, a member of the Board at Venture ESG, and a sustainability adviser at Zai Lab, KKR, and Pictet Group.SummaryProfessor Alison Taylor discusses the concept of being a good business and the challenges and complexities surrounding it. She emphasizes the need for a better conversation about the role of business in society and the importance of clarity and honesty in addressing ethical questions. Professor Taylor also explores the tension between shareholder value and other objectives, the limitations of rating agencies, and the need for organizations to focus on managing their negative impacts. She highlights the qualities of effective leaders and the importance of culture in driving change. Ultimately, she calls for better questions and a more systemic approach to addressing the challenges facing businesses today.Key Moments00:59 What does it mean to be a good business?04:42 Disconnects and challenges in the business world05:12 Rating agencies and the limitations of transparency06:32 Tension between shareholder value and other objectives07:31 The need for a better conversation about business in society08:01 The problem with stakeholder rhetoric09:26 Moving from transparency to accountability10:55 The limitations of rating agencies11:24 The challenges of measuring ESG performance12:47 The problems with corporate advocacy13:39 The fantasy of transparency leading to accountability20:05 The role of business in society22:02 The need for companies to manage their negative impacts23:15 Holding companies accountable through employees and social media24:36 The qualities of effective leaders in driving change26:28 The challenge of changing entrenched thinking at the top27:53 When CEOs and leaders should speak out on social and political issues29:32 The importance of having a process for making decisions on contentious issues34:39 The ingredients of a healthy culture37:02 The need for organizations to make a conscious choice to transform40:06 The challenges and uncertainties of the futureMusic credit: David Cutter Music / @dcuttermusic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This segment is sparked by a recent viral video of a layoff recorded by an employee. Kelli and Nolan cover the recent layoffs at Google and Cloudflare, how treatment of an employee during the layoff impacts both the employee and employer, and how companies should handle parting ways with an employee in 2024. Forward this to any HR Pro who needs to hear it - and tell them to Subscribe.Timestamps:(00:00) Special segment alert(00:17) January is the biggest month in the last 20 years for layoffs in tech(01:10) Kelli's take (02:41) Bad behavior, bad policies and the need for big tech companies to be called out for doing rolling layoffs(04:32) Google layoffs(05:20) Cloudflare employee records her layoff(06:10) The litmus test of being part of a team (not just HR teams)(07:03) When CEOs think they can get away with bad behavior since other companies do it(08:05) What happens when you don't treat employees in good faith(10:05) Accountability checks on companies during layoffs(11:20) Back to the golden rule (11:41) Important reminder for employersGET IN TOUCH WITH NOLAN, + KELLI ON LINKEDINNolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/HR Heretics is a podcast from the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more at turpentine.co This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hrheretics.substack.com

Nicole M. Heimann: "Freedom is permission to be who we are, and independent of needing others' approval. Being okay with the fact that some people will resonate with our energy and some will not is true freedom. When we are free, that's when we are really powerful. Being unapologetically you is about taking a stand for your freedom.  Taking a stand is a big one for me. Far too many leaders are afraid they will be judged for being authentic and that's not what our world needs. So I give them permission. They have to want it, they have to believe in it, and they have to be courageous. It takes courage to go in front of a board that is more focused on short term profits, rather than on the long term impact and how their decisions will affect the planet.  Once I get my clients in touch with their essence and reconnected with their values then we look at the values of their company. When CEOs step into their full authenticity and pursue their own freedom, they are able to take a stand for what they believe in. Then they mobilize their organization around it."  * If you would like to know more about the process of creating a new world, you won't want to miss this interview with my guest Nicole Heimann. Find out how to get in touch with your essence so you are able to be authentic, influential, and inspirational. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/linda-vettrus-nichols/message

CEOs play a pivotal role in shaping an organization's commitment to ethical practices. Involving CEOs in compliance training, having them share their experiences, and demonstrating a personal commitment to compliance initiatives sets a strong tone from the top. This engagement fosters a culture of ethics and compliance throughout the organization, reinforcing the importance of ethical conduct at all levels.Mary Shirley is a highly regarded authority in the field of ethics, compliance, and corporate governance. She is widely recognized for her expertise in helping organizations navigate the complex landscape of compliance, mitigate risks, and promote ethical practices. With a wealth of experience and insights, Mary Shirley has become a sought-after thought leader, speaker, and author. Her book, Living Your Best Compliance Life: 65 Hacks and Cheat Codes to Level Up Your Ethics and Compliance Program, has earned acclaim for bridging gaps in existing literature on compliance programs.You'll hear Michael and Mary discuss:Organizations can promote ethics and compliance by recognizing and rewarding individuals or teams who exhibit ethical behaviors. This creates a positive atmosphere throughout the company, as employees are more likely to behave ethically if they see that it is valued and rewarded. Additionally, recognizing and rewarding ethical behavior can help to set a good example for other employees and encourage them to behave ethically as well.Engaging leaders from different regions and departments in compliance training programs ensures diverse perspectives and reinforces the importance of compliance at all levels. Leaders from different regions and departments will have different experiences and understanding of compliance issues. By engaging them in training programs, organizations can gain a more holistic view of compliance risks and how to mitigate them. Practical solutions and problem-solving are essential for compliance initiatives. For example, shortening documentation requirements or providing training for HR on investigation best practices can be effective solutions. These solutions can help to reduce the burden of compliance on employees and make it easier for businesses to comply with regulations.One of the critical elements Mary discusses is the significance of building strong relationships within the company. Collaboration and idea implementation are key to success in the compliance world.Collaboration between legal, compliance, and HR teams, along with training for HR on investigation best practices, helps streamline compliance efforts.CEOs play a critical role in setting the tone for compliance within an organization. They are the ones who set the example for their employees, and their actions and words can have a significant impact on whether or not employees comply with regulations. When CEOs are involved in compliance training, it demonstrates that they are committed to ethical practices and that they take compliance seriously.Mary recommends forming task forces to validate compliance ideas at an early stage, fostering a culture of innovation and problem-solving.Encouraging employees to share personal anecdotes related to compliance principles humanizes the process and fosters a culture of ethical work. When employees feel like they can share their own experiences with compliance, it helps them to understand the principles on a deeper level. It also helps to create a sense of community and belonging, as employees see that they are not alone in their commitment to ethical behavior. KEY QUOTE“One of the things that I learned way later that I wish I had was that when you involve people in the conceptualizing aspect [of] building a compliance initiative… and they feel [like they are] part of it… you're in a much better position to get buy-in when you [implement].” - Mary ShirleyResourcesMary Shirley on LinkedIn Order Mary's new book: Living Your Best Compliance Life

Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race. Everyone lies to his neighbour; their flattering lips speak with deception (Psalm 12:1,2). Does it seem to you that Psalm 12 describes our society? People do not expect the truth to be spoken. Trust in leaders and strangers is at an all time low. Many do not even trust their family and friends to speak honestly anymore. When our politicians make campaign promises we don't really believe them, yet we vote for those who make the biggest promises (which means, the biggest lies). When CEOs tell us that they care about the factory worker which is being laid off while they deposit their bonuses for streamlining the company, we shrug our shoulders and purchase their merchandise (which we don't really need). But before we feel superior to leaders in our society consider how Eugene Peterson once described the state of our culture: "The puzzle is why so many people live so badly. Not so wickedly but so inanely. Not so cruel but so stupidly. There's little to admire and less to imitate in the people who are prominent in our culture. We have celebrities but not saints. Famous entertainers amuse a nation of bored insomniacs. Infamous criminals act out the aggression of timid conformists. Petulant and spoiled athletes play games vicariously for lazy and apathetic spectators. Aimless and bored, people amuse themselves with trivia and trash. Neither the adventure of goodness nor the pursuit of righteousness gets headlines" (Run with the Horses). How should Christians live in such a treacherous society? First, we need to recognize the state of things, acknowledging that truth telling is not loved around us. This is not a matter in which Christians ought to feel superior, but one in which we ought to test our own hearts, examining how easily we get caught up in lies. We do well to read the story of Balaam in which Israel was easily enticed into sin. Later Moses warns them, “Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them” (Deuteronomy 11:16). Secondly, we ought to join David in his prayer, "Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore…May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue" (1 & 3). We will not defeat evil. The enemy is too strong. Rather, we pray that our warrior King will defeat evildoers. We wait for His justice and peace. While we wait, we join in the prayer of the saints, “Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus” (cf. Revelation 22:20). Thirdly, David says, "The words of the Lord are flawless, like silver..." (6). The antidote to the lying in our society is a delight in the truth which is found in God's Word. Another way of to say this is: we take the same joy in God's word as that expressed in Psalm 119. Not the most riveting scripture, but deeply needed. God reveals the way to true life. Do we love it? Let's join with Jude who ends his letter with this doxology: To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen (Jude 24,25).

What we covered in this episode of "Growing Social Now"~ Why you need a personal brand AND a leadership brand~ Facts don't change behavior, there has to be an emotional connection~ Where people are taking their dollars, time, and energy ~ When CEOs need to take a stand ~ What presentation skills will make any meeting more successful ~ Why "quiet quitting" undervalues what's really happening in the workplaceHow They MetDianne was one of the first business leaders to welcome Barbara to Charlotte. As president of the IABC Charlotte chapter, Diane invited Barbara to speak at the chapter's January 2020 meeting.  About Dianne Chase . . . Dianne is an award-winning communications professional with decades of experience working successfully with leaders who want to elevate their personal, professional, and business communication skills. She is an Accredited GENIUS Business Storytelling Partner© in the Gabrielle Dolan methodology; one of only two in the world. Her driving purpose is helping business professionals become authentic and impactful communicators so that they may attain their personal and professional aspirations.Dianne founded her boutique communications consulting, training, and media relations firm, Chase Media, in 2000 after a distinguished career in broadcast journalism as a news director, anchor, and reporter. Her areas of expertise and services include crisis communication, media training, presentation skills training, message development, strategic internal and external communication, and executive communication consulting and coaching.She is a past global chair of the International Association of Business Communicators and currently serves at the local level as president of the IABC Charlotte chapter.She is a founding member of the 20/20 Visionaries in Charlotte and serves on several philanthropic and professional boards in her mission to always find ways to add value, provide support, and give back.Connect with Dianne Chase on LinkedInAbout Barbara RozgonyiBarbara Rozgonyi leads CoryWest Media, a creative marketing communication consultancy that attracts attention, builds brands, and connects communities. Named after Barbara's mother and grandmother, CoryWest Media inspires innovation as it fuels growth. Barbara is an international trends speaker with a Hungarian heritage, a digital marketing advisor since 2002, and a sales leadership guide for all types of teams. With a future vision, BarbaThanks for listening, commenting, liking, sharing, and adding Growing Social Now to your podcast playlist!!Cheers to your success,Barbara RozgonyiFounder, CoryWest Media, Top PR Blogger, Host of Growing Social Now, International Speaker and Inspirational Storyteller, Creative Marketing Team Coach, LinkedIn Social Selling Trainer, Avid Hiker, Natural Photographer Barbara Rozgonyi on Facebook Barbara Rozgonyi on InstagramBarbara Rozgonyi on LinkedInBarbara Rozgonyi on TikTokBarbara Rozgonyi on TwitterYouTubeGrowing Social Now wiredPRworksBarbaraRozgonyi.com

In his book, The Five Temptations of a CEO, author Patrick Lencioni discusses five areas in which CEOs tend to inadvertently prioritize the wrong things. These “temptations”, as he calls them, can lead to poor decision making at best, and can risk the very survival of the company at worst. My experience leading a software company taught me that there is a sixth temptation, unique to software, that seemed to present itself on a near-daily basis. More specifically: The biggest temptation of a software CEO is to throw bodies (specifically engineers) at problems. It is this sixth temptation that I struggled with most frequently. With the benefit of hindsight, I've come to a few realizations that I'd like to share with fellow software CEOs in hopes that they'll do a better job of managing this temptation than I did. Among other lessons, I share how the following realities should shape the decision of whether or not (and by how much) to increase the size of the company's engineering team: Communication channels grow non-linearly as team size increases Work expands to fill the time allotted for its completion The development team will never be big enough One unit of additional capacity often doesn't produce a unit of additional output When CEOs add more developers, they're often attempting to solve the wrong problem It's much easier to add than it is to take away Hiring engineers can be a very difficult hire to quantify Please enjoy!

When CEOs are asked, "What is a skill you most value in your people?" time and again, creativity, problem-solving, and innovation top their list. However, according to Ad Age, 75% of people believe they are not living up to their creative potential.  It's easy to see why. It can be a long slog from initial concept to final product. Even in organizations that pride themselves on rapid iteration and experimentation, most truly novel ideas either stall out or lose their originality along the way. How do you defy those odds? Jill Perry-Smith joined the Goizueta Effect Podcast to discuss creativity and how businesses can take ideas from the mind to the marketplace. She is a professor at Emory University's Goizueta Business School where she has researched the intersection of creativity, innovation, and business for nearly 20 years. She received her PhD in organizational behavior from the College of Management at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has consulted numerous Fortune 100 companies, and has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, CNN, and Fast Company. This episode of the Goizueta Effect was co-created in partnership with Emory student Scott Masterson. Can You Learn Creativity? Similar to the question, “are leaders born or made?,” creativity may come naturally for some, but everyone has the capacity to develop a creative skillset. Nowadays, the workplace is more flexible than ever before. Creativity is rewarded and encouraged in the most successful firms.  Harnessing a Broader Definition Typically, when we think of creativity, we think of artistic expression. In the workplace we think of breakthroughs in technology, but some of the most important creativity has to do with creative problem-solving.  The Process of Creating an Idea   One fundamental way of studying the journey on an idea is categorizing the different phases that an idea goes through from the time the idea is birthed to the time when the idea is implemented.  The journey an idea takes isn't always linear: ideas have a bumpy journey. The ideas may cycle backward several steps in the process after months of planning. Creators may get less confident in their idea and be less willing to take the risk and put it forward. They must also deal with an onslaught of input and valuable feedback from others along the way, which lengthens the process. Alongside such a complex process, the novelty often gets snuffed out of the essence of the idea. The Phases of the Idea Journey: With Whom Should I Collaborate? Each phase of the idea journey is unique and requires specific attention to ensure optimal results. For example, the collaborative needs change across phases. Risk must be considered when developing an idea as well: an idea is original since it has not been done before. As humans, we tend to stick to what is most comfortable and this can combat the innovation process. The Generation Phase The generation phase is when a concept is born. For this phase, the best people to associate with are acquaintances and strangers. Innovators need inspiration and an open mind. Speaking with strangers is a great tool for spurring this inspiration. Since people that are close to us tend to be more like us and potentially over supportive, going outside our comfort zones and talking to people in different social spheres will facilitate open-mindedness.  The Elaboration Phase During the elaboration phase, creators need support and encouragement to develop their ideas. It's risky so friends and close peers are extremely beneficial to the process. Typically, managers are not the most helpful as they can be viewed as evaluative.  Deeply analyzing the idea with one or two other people as opposed to sharing it with a larger collective is most valuable.  The Promotion Phase During the promotion phase, influence and reach are critical due to the risk associated with the idea and lack of precedent. This phase can entail the acquisition of resources and the selling of the idea to others. It's not always easy to get decision-makers to understand or buy into an idea, because of these inherent characteristics of creative concepts or ideas. At this point, we want to seek network brokers: people who are linchpins connecting otherwise disconnected people across the organization. They provide access to people and exposure.  The Implementation Phase Shared vision and trust are what's needed during this phase. A cohesive team with a shared north star can drive success. Tips and Best Practices for Facilitating Workplace Creativity  You don't have to hire a Chief Innovation Officer to encourage creativity and innovation in your workplace. You can make simple changes to the way your organization and teams operate.  The first tip is to make creative problem-solving a priority. This means always asking for more problem-solving alternatives: the more alternatives, the more likely there is to be variety and creativity.  The second tip is to be collaboratively flexible and reduce conformity processes: think of teams as a tool that is helpful when necessary. Companies that are experts in facilitating workplace creativity are Apple, Google, and 3M. Apple and Google are likely not surprising choices, but 3M is a case-study in its own right.  3M has weathered economic storms and existed for a long time in part due to its creative decision-making practices. They were at the forefront of understanding the value of providing time for people to work on what they want to work on, because people are very intrinsically motivated when they can make decisions about how to spend their time. They have also made it possible for workers to see the end results of their innovation. Innovation and the Pandemic While the pandemic created many challenges, it also opened up new opportunities for unique problem-solving. The pandemic pushed us to put our creative problem-solving skills to the test as the world of business has drastically changed.  The negative effect of the pandemic is the reduction of valuable network-building and face-to-face communication: people are working at home now more than ever. It's important to continue having in-person communication to allow for creative inspiration and the facilitation of ideas: you can't have those valuable talks with acquaintances as easily in an online setting.  We also need to consider who is most likely to work from home - more junior employees, women, parents – and the effects of that shift on innovation and career progression.  To learn more about Goizueta Business School and how principled leaders are driving positive change in business and society, visit goizueta.emory.edu.  

Ungenita teaches us about communication in business, about creating a social capital and a million-dollar pitch! Talking to her was beyond inspirational, as Ungenita is a fierce leader in bringing together women from all over the world to her spectacular events. An amazing talk with a top communicator on how to use your social capital to your advantage! Ungenita teaches you how to create a million dollar pitch and what skills should you focus on if you want to network your way to grand success. Get to know the wonderful Ungenita: “SOCIAL CAPITAL—not your SOCIAL MEDIA METRICS—is the most important asset in your portfolio.” When CEOs, thought leaders and multimillionaires want to build their BILLION DOLLAR ROLODEX they call ME. I've spent the LAST DECADE making countless ”deal closing” introductions and brokered deals on multiple continents. I am the brains behind hundreds of lucrative partnerships, cash rich collaborations and connecting the RIGHT PEOPLE and transforming their financial trajectory. You don't need to chase fans, followers or subscribers. Most of the women online with HIGH social media metrics have ZERO to low profit margins. “Ms. Popular Vs. Ms. Profitable” I've helped 2000+ women build SOCIAL CAPITAL. Imagine if you were one text, email, social media post, DM or phone call away from generating leads, referrals, introductions, job offers, capital or resources to help you accelerate your influence, impact and income. I can show you “how” to MONETIZE YOUR NETWORK LIKE RICH WOMEN DO. List of credentials: ~ SAG/AFTRA - Award Winning Feminine Leadership Expert - Official Member of Forbes Coaches Council - Los Angeles Business Journal Women in Business Award - Founder of Future Females London - County of Los Angeles Commendation Award - Global Woman US Aspirational Award. - Brand Portfolio: Nike, Victoria's Secret, The Body Shop, Sony, Paul Mitchell, Wet Seal, Mitsubishi and ING Direct. - National Spokeswoman US Living Advantage Voices For Foster Children Listen to my podcast BILLION DOLLAR ROLODEX https://bit.ly/billiondollarrolodex Join The #1 Business Networking Event for women. Networking IN STILETTOS https://www.linkedin.com/events/billiondollarrolodex-women-spowernetworking Register Now FEMMEGlobal500.com https://ungenita-prevost.mykajabi.com/work-with-me “Human contact is a luxury good.” Enjoy more tools to keep your fears under your control! •••••••••••

In this episode of Scaling Up Insights, Bill is joined by panelists Neale Lewis, Stacy Eads, and Judy Guido to discuss the latest advancements in the world of Scaling Up.    The first on the agenda is Keith Ferrazzi's latest book, Competing in the New World of Work. As we're coming up towards the third year of ‘a different way of working in life', Keith details that the biggest takeaway out of all of this is that being vulnerable is okay. People are breaking down. They're exhausted and leaders need to be tuned in to accurately address that.    When CEOs notice that their teams are stressed out, Bill offers advice that instead of trying to ‘problem solve' their stress, take a step back and get real and vulnerable. Tell the team you're also stressed in an authentic way! By revealing this insight, people were able to open up and a real dialogue was able to start. If you want people to be open and honest, you have to be open and honest first.        Scaling Up is launching the 20,000 Scale Up Program. It's a 12-month intensive framework where you work alongside your leadership team. The goal is to help 20,000 startups exponentially grow. Neale is passionate about this because startups are the backbone for many cities, and what better way than to help cities get back on their feet by equipping its people with more job opportunities!    How do you get a job working for Warren Buffet? It starts with getting a bit creative. Did you know he likes corn and tomatoes? That's how one woman was able to score herself a job at Berkshire Hathaway. She decided to make it personal and show some of her homely farm roots at the job interview. However, once she got in, she had to prove her worth and her expertise.    Interview Links: Judy: Guidoassoc.com Stacy: Stacyeads.com Neale: Nealelewis.com Competing in the New World of Work by Keith Ferrazzi 20,000 12-month Scaling Up Program Bushel of Corn and a Batch of Tomatoes Giftology by John Ruhlin It's Your Friends Who Break Your Heart Scaling Up CEO Boot Camp Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi   Resources: Scaling Up Workshop: Interested in attending one of our workshops? We have a few $100 discounts for our loyal podcast listeners!Scaling Up for Business Growth Workshop: Take the first step to mastering the Rockefeller Habits by attending one of our workshops. Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube   Did you enjoy today's episode? If so, then head over to iTunes and leave a review. Help other business leaders discover the Scaling Up Business Podcast so they, too, can benefit from the ideas shared in these podcasts.   Scaling Up is the best-selling book by Verne Harnish and our team for Gazelles Coaching, on how the fastest-growing companies succeed where so many others fail. My name is Bill Gallagher, host of the Scaling Up Business Podcast and a leading Gazelles Coach. Gazelles is the term we use for fast-growing companies.   We help leadership teams with 4 Decisions around People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash so that they can Scale Up successfully and beat the odds of business growth success. Scaling Up for Gazelles companies is based on the Rockefeller Habits 2.0 (from Verne's original best-selling business book, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits).  

Paul Carroll spent 17 years at the Wall Street Journal as an editor and reporter. The paper nominated him twice for Pulitzer Prizes. In 1996, he founded Context, a thought-leadership magazine on the strategic importance of information technology that was a finalist for the National Magazine Award for General Excellence. He is a co-founder of the Devil's Advocate Group consulting firm. He is also a co-author of several books including, The New Killer Apps, Billion Dollar Lessons, and the author of Big Blues.   Key Takeaways How did Paul get his start in insurance? Paul's mantra is to have smart people in safe projects. What do people get wrong about innovation? Paul shares what it means to have a “Devil's Advocate” idea. Before you make a big leap (and investment) on an innovative project, make sure everyone in leadership is first on the same page and you have a devil's advocate asking smart questions. What happens when an industry digitalizes? Remember, with the introduction of readily accessible cameras in our phones, Kodak ended up disappearing overnight. What sections of the insurance industry are on the verge of being disrupted? Paul thinks it's going to be insurance claims. When CEOs get to a certain stage of their career, they're worried about how to keep things status quo (and not disrupt) until they can safely retire. How can technology companies best drive change in the insurance industry today? What does the world of insurance look like 10–15 years from now? What does Paul wish he'd known sooner in his career? Paul shares a message on why young talent should join the industry. AI is going to find its way into insurance.   Keep Getting Better Paul on LinkedIn The New Killer Apps: How Large Companies Can Out-Innovate Start-Ups  Billion Dollar Lessons: What You Can Learn From the Most Inexcusable Business Failures of the Last 25 Years  Big Blues: The Unmaking of IBM   Quotes   “The biggest problem with strategy is people don't have a devil's advocate who is poking holes in strategies.”   “Nothing really innovative can happen unless the CEO drives it, and the CEO can only focus on so many things at a time.”   “Insurance is as inefficient of an industry I've ever come across in my travels. Way too much paper involved, way too much process, things that could happen quickly wind up taking a long time.”  

In this episode, our Group Director of Strategy, Lisa Kane, reads, “An open letter to a CEO: Considerations for rebranding.” When CEOs contemplate a considerable challenge, such as a rebrand, they tend to focus on the exhilarating first half of the marathon. But it’s the second half of the race that is the most critical and requires as much — if not more — attention. Originally published on Medium, Lisa explains why when it comes to rebranding, leaders must determine, is refreshing the brand merely a change of sign, or is it a sign of change?

When CEOs have a lot to lose from a fall in their company's share price, they may be tempted to make adverse decisions, says Professor of Business Strategy Geoff Martin. Professor Martin's research focuses on strategic decision-making by CEOs and the effect their decisions can have on organisations and the community. In the latest Melbourne Business School Podcast, he speaks with Yasmin Rupesinghe about his work in the area of product recalls. Professor Martin teaches Business Strategy, Corporate Strategy and the Social Entrepreneurs units on our MBA programs. Visit his faculty profile for more information. Yasmin is a Program Manager on our Executive MBA and Senior Executive MBA programs, and a radio presenter for PBS FM. Find out more at mbs.edu

Hack your Creativity to become more Innovative and Agile, E:10 When CEOs were asked, “What is the skill you most value in your people?”, they said creativity, the ability to solve problems, come up with new solutions, and use brainpower to figure things out. (source)  Learn how to tap into your creativity and run a brainstorming session the RIGHT WAY! My guest today is Dagný Valgeirsdóttir (email is Dagný@neurocreativity.dk).  Dagný has a PhD in enhancing creativity.  Currently she is working at the Technical University of Denmark as a postdoctoral creativity researcher and facilitator who specializes in ways to enhance individual creativity through metacognitive creativity training.  Well, thank you so much for being with us today. Really excited about your topic. It's one that's very top of mind today as we are a society that is moving so quickly and so rapidly that we need to be innovative as much as possible. So tell us about the topic that you're going to share with us today. Thanks for having me first of all.  I am going to talk about a topic that I have been very enthusiastic about four years now and looking into in great depth, which is ways to enhance creativity and I see creativity as the raw material of innovation and of course, we know innovation is very important and that led me to think that will help. Can we actually enhance creativity? Great. I like the way you talked about creativity being the raw material of innovation. So, what is the science behind that that helps you to understand how to be more creative? Through my studies of individuals working in creative processes, I started to notice this tendency of especially experienced designers and engineers, that the more aware of their own processes, so their creative processes, and the more knowledgeable they were of the things that could actually influence their processes, the better they were at facilitating both their own process as well as their teams process. So, the main findings were this concept that I developed called process awareness, meaning that you actually have to know about the things / stuff that can cognitively influence you and your work, and the better you are at actually monitoring yourself and being aware and conscious of your work, the better you become at facilitating it. Yeah, that's powerful. I work with leaders in coaching and focusing on self-awareness is so important. So, what are the things that you do to help these engineers and leaders to really become more aware of their process as it relates to creativity. I actually developed a training program, so it's a one-and-a-half-day program. It's very condensed because, of course, I'm working with practitioners and they don't have a lot of time to spare, so it's a one and a half day training program where I educate them about the things that can affect them, like how they can manage constraints through their work and how they should be aware of how priming affects them and when they need a break and all these practical things that when you're educated about it, you kind of have an Aha moment. Like, Oh yeah, of course I should have known that, but if you don't have the word for those concepts, it's difficult for you to facilitate them. So first and foremost, it's about educating them and then I take them through specifically designed exercises where they actually applied those concepts. They try them out firsthand so that they can recognize them when they are doing their work. So, they see, okay, so is how fixation feels for instance, and this is how it feels when I really need a break. And then finally after having educated them I let them try it out. I give them some advice on how to subsequently react to those situations, so that's the core of my program.  It is called the Know-Recognize-React model. So, it has these three layers know, recognize, and react. You educate them, put them through the experiences, give the Aha moment, and then help them with ways that they can help improve their creativity based on that. Exactly. Great. So, what is the tip or the hack that you want to share with us today based on your experience, what you've seen maybe something that's worked the most effectively with the people within your workshop or organizations that you work with? The one thing that has been a huge eye opener for majority of the participants in my training program is the fact that you should not jump to a solution because there are actually these two concepts called problem space and solution space. People in the modern society today, we've become very narrow minded. We've gone through educational systems that don't really allow for a lot of creativity. We are always in demand of the right answer right now and also when we entered the job market. Then of course, it becomes even more intense because you have a lot of time constraints and so on, so you don't really allow yourself to actually explore the problem. Am I really working with the right problem? Of course. I know that this can be challenging in the real world, but just knowing about the fact that sometimes it's okay to challenge the problem that you're working with and say, okay, maybe I should spend 30 minutes just exploring is this actually the problem that I want to be solving or is it something else? This has been a huge eyeopener for my participants to stuff just jumping to solutions because we're so focused on producing results, but rather explore a little bit before you then start working on the solution and that's my hope. You end up with a much more creative solution then. That's a great point. The conversation reminds me of an executive that I used to work with and this phrase he brought up always stuck with me. He'd say, “What is the problem we're trying to solve?” Because you would see people quickly trying to throw solutions and this really helped us step back and get clarity around that. So, what are the things that you've seen people do or worked with organizations where it's helped them step back into that problem space before they go into the solution space? What is a tip around that? Well, I think first and foremost just to bring it up to people's attention because sometimes people aren't even aware of the fact that they maybe can or should explore the problem. So just for instance, in one of the sessions that I have with innovation practitioners was that they kind of felt that they were equipped with knowledge now that they could bring to their executives. And then that's a conversation opener because a lot of the times there is kind of a misalignment between what the project level wants and what the executive level wants. So this misalignment sometimes ends up in an environment that's maybe not very supportive to creativity, but having this knowledge they felt a bit empowered and then they can at least start the conversation and figure out ways to use this knowledge to their advantage and to advocate for the fact that maybe it would be actually beneficial to explore a little bit before we start solving the problem. And I think you hit on a very common area that I hear and work with executives with all the time as well in organizations where there is a misalignment between what different people believe the problem is or the communication between that. So, in your experience working with these organizations, do you have an experience of when some of these people that you've trained or worked with have helped to step back into that problem space? Yeah, there was actually one very concrete example that I was given after I had done a training program with one of my participants and she actually wrote me afterwards telling me that she was mainly had two responsibilities towards clients.  And the clients might have some design requirements or some requirements for a project that they wanted to have solved and that just bringing this up and actually asking the client, well, would you mind if we actually explored and then having the right arguments for why that is important and that actually helped her to facilitate this discussion which ended up in them actually exploring the problem further. So again, it all comes down to having the right type of knowledge and being aware of how things can influence your process and then you can subsequently manage it a bit better. Yeah, I think that's a great tip.  If we jumped too quickly to solve the problem, we might not be solving the right problem and taking the time to step back. And like you said, with fast paced organizations, it's really difficult to be able to do that at times or we feel like it's difficult to do that. Yeah. So how have you used this personally? Obviously, I, since I'm preaching this all the time, I'm very well aware of all of these things that can influence me, and one of the things that I find most helpful to me personally is the knowledge about priming. That's how you are influenced by stimuli in your environment without even knowing it. And if we become too primed and you're kind of stuck in a rut, then knowing that I might actually be fixated right now and then I know that I actually should take a break or I should switch tasks because that will lead to incubation, which is the, the academic term for taking a break so that your brain can relieve the fixation. And that is something that I use on a daily basis to kind of self-manage and being aware of the fact that I'm not getting anywhere right now - I know that it's because of this and then I can do something about it. And the most interesting thing, I think about incubation or taking a break, is that I often get this skeptical response to that as well. I can't take a break whenever I want to. I'm at work, I have to be productive. But there have been so many studies into incubation and how to take breaks. And one of those studies actually found out that the most effective way to take a break or the most effective way to incubate in terms of becoming more creative, at to work was to switch tasks. So, you should not literally take a break, but you should just go and do something else. So, if you're working on something and you have a huge deadline, It's actually better to take a break for 20 minutes, go answer some emails or make some phone calls, and then return to your work -  rather than sitting in front of your computer for two, three, four, five hours, and being more and more frustrated and literally just wasting time because you're fixated, and that's a cognitive thing.  It's in your brain and you can’t relieve the fixation without actually giving your brain a break so you can get your brain to focus on something else. Tell me. Yeah. You talked about the knowledge of priming. Can you simply explain what you mean by priming? Priming is a phenomenon that, in simple terms, means stimuli in your environment that unknowingly or knowingly affect you and how you think. So it's inspiration, it's something that you might, of course, also seek out. For instance, if you're starting a new project and you want to talk to people around you, you want to go out to nature. A lot of people find that nature or sightseeing helps them to get inspired, so that is literally priming, which is inspiration. But the tricky thing about priming is that sometimes you want to seek it out, you want to get inspired, but a lot of the times you are primed by things in your environment without knowing about it and sometimes that can lead to fixation. So, you would want to avoid priming or avoid too much inspiration. Priming, it's sometimes used, for instance, by magicians and you know, Derren Brown, who plays mind tricks with subliminal priming. It is actually quite powerful and it influences you without knowing about it, but as I said, it's mainly inspiration and it's something that you can try to have some control over, but you of course cannot ever rule out every stimuli in your environment. So, tell me, for example, what do you do with priming? So, you talked about one of your knowledge or priming, you've used it. If I want to create a new program or get ready to write an article about having difficult conversations or creating an environment that is more conducive for high engagement within your team. What could I do to prime myself? Well, of course the biggest priming mechanism is seeking out more knowledge.  So, reading up on things, I think is the most obvious answer, but then again it's all about awareness and being conscious because sometimes if you realize that priming is this double sided coin, you also sometimes don't want to be primed by. For instance, if you're making a new program, you would maybe want to avoid seeing the existing program because otherwise your brain will automatically just go to that known stimuli and you will end up with something very similar, and this actually goes back to the very basics of brainstorming for instance.  And I very frequently talk about the priming in terms of brainstorming because brainstorming is, of course, a highly used technique within workshops and meetings and office environments. But in my opinion, it's the most misused method as well because people always want to do group brainstorming - everybody should brainstorm together. But it has been shown numerous times that it does not lead to the best ideas or the most number of ideas because everybody becomes primed by each other. So, it usually tends, with the most extrovert person, the one that talks the most, that is what you will end up having at the end of the workshop. So, my advice in terms of that and keeping this priming phenomena in mind is to always start a brainstorming session with individual brainstorming. So, do two minutes where you only have the problem statement or the task at hand in front of you and everybody should just sit in silence and produce as many ideas or solutions as they can within two minutes. Then at the end of that, you just go around and you ask everybody to read aloud what is on their post-its and just place them in the middle of the table, so then you are actually giving out the information and then you do another individual round of brainstorming before then everybody introducing and starting to discuss the solutions and really define what they're working on. But in that sense, so in the first individual round, you're actually avoiding priming because you want everybody's output on the table. You want also the quiet people. You want everybody to be able to contribute without actually writing something that's just similar to what the talkative person produced. And then in the second individual round, you're actually using priming because seeing what everybody else has come up with after you have actually dumped all of your ideas out, might spark some new ones. So that's a very simple way to actually use priming strategically within a work session. That's a great example. I see brainstorming sessions all the time and I think this technique would be really valuable for organizations to let people, you know, you're getting the best ideas but they're not being influenced right away. And so thanks for sharing that about priming and the importance of that. So what's one thing that someone could do right now, leaders who are listening to this, maybe those in roles that require them to be more creative, something that they can do that's going to help them tap into this process of awareness and self-awareness? That's a good question. Of course, my training and all of my work is based on this awareness. You can't really be aware unless you have the knowledge.  But in terms of simple advice, I think would be to try to observe your own self when you are working in a process. You can also, for instance, take a riddle or a brain teaser. You can just find that online and try to look at the brain teaser and look at the mechanisms of it and question it, because a lot of brain teasers actually use these mechanisms of priming and fixation to prime you in the wrong direction of an answer, but as soon as you actually realize, “Hey, this is probably an anchor where I'm supposed to go this route - whereas the answer likely that  route.” So actually maybe just trying that out and see if you become better at solving riddles and that can then help you also be more aware in your work processes. Once you've gotten the hang of actually questioning and being more aware of, “Hey, I shouldn't be thinking in this sense, there's nothing that has indicated that, but I'm probably just being primed in that way.” So I think that is a simple way and usually also a fun way. I actually used brain teasers as a warmup and my training program and people enjoy it. They find it fun to actually analyze brain teasers and at the same time actually analyzing their ways of thinking. I love that tip because that's something that you could do individually yourself if you're stuck or to help a team get focused and primed in the right way or maybe getting rid of some of the notions that they have coming in that might get in the way of helping them really be creative. It all comes down to this kind of just questioning things and getting rid of your assumptions or questioning your assumptions, like is literally the right problem? is this the right way to think about it? do I need something else? So, this awareness and questioning of assumptions and habits and routines and just being more conscious in your work. That's great. I love that tip. So, tell me what's next? What are you working on now? So currently I am looking into all of these creativity mechanisms and how they correlate with other fields. So currently I'm starting up a project about agile within product development and typically agile has been used within software industries and there are some troubles in how to actually align those when you're working with hardware. And what I learned when I started looking into all of these agile methods is that they actually use a lot of these underlying mechanisms in their framework. For instance, scrum have all of these retrospective meetings and the team alliance in the daily stand up every day, and that is very much conducted through consciousness and reflection and being aware. And so, I thought that was a very interesting venue to see whether process awareness and just awareness of this cognitive processes that can affect your work methods, aligned with these more specific methods within product development. That makes a lot of sense. I know a lot of organizations are looking at agile and trying to be more effective at either creating products quicker or not having to have things perfected before they're done. And I think that organizations are starting to use scrum, so that's great. Is it just the fact that we're continuing to bring up a specific problem or is it just that we're getting together to talk about potential challenges that you're seeing is most important? Yeah, I think that's one big issue and I think that goes for not just hardware companies or manufacturing companies. It is this misalignment between the project level and the executive level, whereas you have the product developers working very hard on developing things and working in a specific way, whereas the executive level maybe has different goals and just wants things to speed up. So, this misalignment between the aims of each level is something that I think is an important thing to look at and keep in mind and try to figure out ways to improve that - to get both levels on the same page. Yeah, that's such a common challenge and problem that I see with organizations as well. Executives not necessarily aligned with the product leaders and really looking forward to what some of your work will come up with to just help bridge that gap in communication to become more effective at creating the right things that we need within the organization and getting alignment. I really look forward to starting to work in depth on that and looking into those aspects. So overall you talked about the main tip is thinking about the two spaces is you should be in - the problem space and the solution space, but not jumping too quickly into that solution space until you really take time and reflect on what the problem is. You gave us some great tips around how we can step back. You also talked about priming and the importance of that either individually or if we're trying to do brainstorming within a group and a technique of sitting back and letting people think silently first, then group, then silent again, then group to really get a better problem statement and solution. Anything else that you wanted to share with us? I'm always working on ways to improve all of my work so everybody is free to get in touch with me if they have specific cases or problems that they think align with my work, that's would be great (email is Dagný@neurocreativity.dk).  And, of course, I'm also very passionate about the creativity training, so that is my passion as well and has been for years. So, if anybody wants to know more about that they are welcome to get in touch. Great. So, if an organization is trying to tap into more creativity within their engineers, product designers, people who are responsible for being creative, you're helping solve some of those problems.  Sounds like you're helping to solve some problems between even the communication gap between the executive and the people that are responsible for being creative and design. How do they get in touch with you? They can get in touch with me through my email (email is Dagný@neurocreativity.dk), I don't have a website. I think this is good. You helped us understand how we could use this for ourselves, can use this for their organizations and then some really quick tips that we can take and start being more creative ourselves and within our organization. So, I really appreciate it and look forward to hearing more of your work around agile as well. Thanks. I look forward to it. Yeah, thank you.   If you are interested in learning more about how coaching can help you improve your productivity, your communication and your leadership skills, for your team or your organization, please reach out to me, Jill Windelspecht and schedule a free consultation here: https://bookme.name/TalentSpecialistsConsulting.  You can find me at www.TalentSpecialists.net, email: jillwindel@talentspecialists.net.

What story does your cash flow tell? Is it a happy ending? Does it end in romance? Or is it a horror story? Your balance, your cash flow, tell a story. The good news is there are four levers you can pull to change it!   Alan Miltz is a numbers guy from South Africa but currently lives in Australia. He is the co-founder of Cash Flow Story, the co-author of Scaling Up, and he’s an International Speaker. Alan is on today’s show to shed some light on the numbers and help Founders and Entrepreneurs get a better understanding of what it all means.   Unless you come from a financial background, looking at the numbers in your business can be overwhelming and hard to comprehend in a ‘big picture’ perspective. As Alan likes to say, you might be speaking Spanish, but the bank is speaking Portuguese and these language barriers can be disastrous for a new startup.   Alan left South Africa in 1987 while the country was in the midst of apartheid. Through his accounting degree, Alan was able to travel all over the world, where he finally landed in Australia at 26 years old. At the time, he was an advisor and realized everyone he spoken to (accountants, business owners, etc) all spoke “numbers” very differently. They all interpreted it… differently!   So, Alan and a few other South African expats decided to create a technology platform that could be used by anyone. The belief was that banks should be able to communicate in credit in one simple language and have businesses understand it. Through that adventure, Alan and his co-founders were able to sell it about six years ago and start Cash Flow Story shortly after.   Cash Flow Story is aimed at CEOs, Coaches, and Accountants to tell a story in a way where everyone will understand the numbers. The biggest danger in a business is what you don’t know about your own business! The goal is simple, to help people eliminate their financial blind spots.   Alan believes revenue is vanity, profit is sanity, and cash is king. When CEOs look at their financials and see their profit margin, they think they understand the business. Alan says you don’t! Profit numbers are just an opinion! You can manipulate your profit. Cash, however, is a fact.   Interview Links: Alanmiltz.com Alan on LinkedIn Cashflowstory.com   Resources: Scaling Up for Business Growth Workshops: Take the first step to mastering the Rockefeller Habits by attending one of our workshops. Scaling Up Website Gazelles Website Bill on YouTube Growthinstitute.com/scalingcoach  

023 Karen Stevens–Fundraising Events Event Coordinator—aka Fundraising Extraordinaire and Community Volunteer Not everyone enjoys coordinating events, but Karen Stevens does. From an early age organizing a party seemed to be in her DNA. Her earliest memory, around the age of six, was creating her mother’s birthday party at one of her mother’s friend’s home and wrapping presents (which she found in her mother’s vanity drawer) as birthday gifts. On another occasion, realizing her younger sister didn’t have an “appropriate” birthday cake, she created a drum cake for her party. Who would have ever guessed these would be preparation for her passion? Karen is no stranger to the non-profit world. Helping organizations increase revenue is her way of making a difference. From Vanderbilt University School of Nursing to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Magdalene, Habitat for Humanity, Siloam Family Health Center, Room in the Inn, Nations Ministry Center, Luke 14:12, and Music for the Soul, she has helped increase their financial support by “throwing a party”! The one-hour free-ask event is a favorite. When CEOs, boards of directors, and volunteers embrace the concept, the work begins. Karen guides them through a series of steps, coordinates data keeping, and manages venue details. She creates a great opportunity for organizations—many of which don’t have a development person on staff—not only to increase revenue and grow their volunteer base, but also to educate guests about the nonprofit’s mission and impact in the community. Needless to say—a win/win for everyone! For Karen, volunteering in the community is the norm. No perimeters. Seeing a need is the only criteria. No excuse for not having enough to keep busy. What groups might just be waiting for you? What’s your passion? What new experience would you like try? Visit Hands On Nashville’s (whose tag line is “Be the Change. Volunteer”) website: www.hon.org for ideas. See you in the community…volunteering! For more about coming podcasts, sign up for Ed’s free Retire-To newsletter: retire-to.com/ed-s-newsletter and visit retiretovolunteering.com.

I recently sat down with Ryan McCrady, president of the Decatur Macon Economic Development Corporation, to talk about everything they do for business and economic growth in our community. Looking to sell your Central Illinois Home? Get a FREE home value report Looking to buy a Central Illinois Home? Search all homes for saleI recently sat down with Ryan McCrady, president of the Economic Development Corporation (EDC), to talk about everything they do for our local business economy. As Ryan says, the EDC focuses on non-residential, non-retail economic development. They help businesses here in Decatur/Macon County expand their footprint and help the community retain businesses in the event of things like zoning, workforce, or regulatory issues. They also work on attracting new business to the area to expand the job base and bring new people to the community as well as provide opportunities to the workers here.The EDC also administers two big initiatives, starting with the Enterprise Zone of Decatur/Macon County. If you operate a business and you're looking to expand or locate a business in the area, there may be incentives they can offer you to do so. As Ryan says, they are administered locally and easy to get your hands. They also oversee the Midwest Inland Port LLC, as well as the community marketing and branding campaign called Limitless Decatur & Macon County.Ryan added that the staff consists of five people with most tasks coming with an 'all hands on deck' approach so they can do everything possible to get involved and promote the community, grow jobs, and grow the economy overall. Decatur has a very skilled and loyal workforce. Just like in our business of real estate, Ryan says that referrals are gold for the EDC. If you or someone you know owns a business and is having some issues, send them Ryan's way and he may be able to help them out. Economic development can be a mystery to a lot of people, Ryan says. While many people think of it as attracting a business like Chik-fil-A, that's not the whole of it; the whole basis for economic development is job growth and retention. When CEOs want to locate or expand a business, they look at a number of factors.They start looking at the available workforce, and Decatur scores very high in this category due to a highly skilled and loyal workforce. It's a workforce of more than 500,000 people located within a 45-minute drive. The next factor they focus on is transportation logistics, where Decatur also ranks high. Then, they look at the quality of life, which companies value a lot since they want to attract and retain top talent regardless of the location, which requires a great community. The EDC shows businesses all these great things about our community.Check out the video above for my full interview with Ryan and all the details about the EDC. If you have any questions, you can reach Ryan at 217-422-9520 or visit DecaturEDC.com to learn more.As always, give me a call or send me an email with any questions, comments, or concerns you have about real estate or the market here in the Decatur area. We look forward to hearing from you!

When CEOs and companies boast. And then, the quantified meal. We'll discuss health and food tracking. And finally, your holiday and gift giving guide (Becka approves! Jared & Matt dissent).   LINKS AND ENDORSEMENTS   $10 gift: EcoMoist Screen Cleaner- https://www.amazon.com/EcoMoist-Cleaner-Microfiber-Cleaning-Computer/dp/B00846UAZM/  Ozeri Pronto Digital Multifunction Kitchen and Food Scale- https://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-Digital-Multifunction-Kitchen-Elegant/dp/B004164SRA    $50 gift: All-New Echo Dot- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015TJD0Y4/ Sno Brum- https://www.amazon.com/Sno-Brum-Original-Removal-Telescoping/dp/B0007LDXLA/    Endorsements: Packed Pixels- http://www.packedpixels.com/ The Handmaid's Tale- http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38447.The_Handmaid_s_Tale  Read more at http://oottpod.libsyn.com/#71OWZi2kmch7efPs.99

Three IABC Fellows -- Jim Lukaszewski, Ned Lundquist, and George McGrath -- join host (and Fellow) Shel Holtz to discuss the "social CEO" and the trend of CEOs and their companies taking positions on social issues that could polarize their employees, customers, and other stakeholders. What role do communicators play?Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #11: When CEOs take sides on social issues appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Three IABC Fellows -- Jim Lukaszewski, Ned Lundquist, and George McGrath -- join host (and Fellow) Shel Holtz to discuss the "social CEO" and the trend of CEOs and their companies taking positions on social issues that could polarize their employees, customers, and other stakeholders. What role do communicators play?Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #11: When CEOs take sides on social issues appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.